OEM licensed and activated UXPCD from VLK source

[majormashup]

If you have an OEM license for your copy of windows XP and would like to reinstall your OS without all of the generic rubbish that manufacturers usually put on their reinstallation CD’s then read on…

NOTE: this is for people who own an OEM licenses for their PC only. Attempting to install OEM software illegally is not condoned by myself or MSFN. I have found this very useful in a corporate environment with OEM licensed windows XP PC's as it has meant I can build required software packages into the CD and speed up my re-imaging process.

What you will need:

• A copy of nlite from http://www.nliteos.com
  
• A corporate (volume license) copy of Windows XP
  
• A copy of the OEM install disc that came with your PC
  
• Some patience
  

Preparing the disc:

• Extract the contents of your corporate disc to a folder on your local drive (nlite seems to have issues with network shares on the odd occaision)
  
• If necessary patch the install with the latest service pack (nlite has a very straightforward wizard for this). My source came pre-patched with SP3.
  
• Open the directory with your install files in (now referred to as winstalldir) and go into the i386 directory. In here is a file called setupp.ini which contains a line reading something like this:
  
• pid=XXXXX270 all that needs to be done to this file is for the last three characters of that string to be changed to “OEM” so it will read something like this:
  pid=XXXXXOEM now save the file and close it.
  
• Next you will need to extract some files from your OEM disc (now referred to as OEMsourcedir). Gather OEMBIOS.BI_, OEMBIOS.CA_, OEMBIOS_DA_, OEMBIOS.SI_, DPCDLL.DL_ and pidgin.dll from the OEMsourcedir\i386 folder and put them somewhere safe. Copy all of these except pidgen.dll to your winstalldir\i386 folder.
  
• Now open nlite and click next (unless you don’t speak English and need to change the language). Click browse and point nlite to winstalldir. When you have done that click next again.
  
• You now have the option to load your last session – skip it. On the next screen select unattended and Bootable ISO and click next.
  
• Under Unattended options enter the following product key:
  
• MVF4D-W774K-MC4VM-QY6XY-R38TB
  
• This is the universal OEM product key as released by Microsoft and as long as you have an OEM license for the machine you are installing to should activate with no technical or legal concerns (unless of course you are breaking the law).
  
• If you click next you will be asked if you want to start the process, click yes and wait until it finishes.
  
• Click next and before you make an ISO copy pidgin.dll from OEMsourcedir\i386 to winstalldir\i386 (overwriting the one that already exists)
  
• Now click make ISO.
  
• Once this is completed you have an image of a disc that is the same as the Manufacturers install CD’s but with nothing removed and no junk added. Well done.
  
• Test the disk on a virtual (or real) PC and make sure you don’t get any error messages saying “Invalid Product ID”. These usually occur when you forget to copy one of the files from the OEM disc.
  
• After all of this is complete start the whole process over in the knowledge you have it right and integrate any addons, remove junk and slipstream driverpacks as you see fit!
  

Edited December 18, 2008 by majormashup

[nomadturk]

For that PID section, it only differs the KEY value what the CD will accept.

If you change the last 3 letters to OEM, it's OEM.

If you change the last 3 letters to 335, it's Retail

If you change the last 3 letters to 270, it's VLK

Edited December 26, 2008 by nomadturk